BERLIN, MD - The Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office has announced the sentencing of a repeat arsonist following a string of incidents in Worcester County.
Prosecutors say Felix Rounds, 38, started three separate structure fires between November 21, 2023 and March 29, 2024. The first fire was reportedly set in a bedroom of a house on Sinepuxent Road in Berlin.
The second was reported in March 2024 by a cleaning crew at an Ocean City hotel after they discovered fire damage to a room. Investigators say Rounds had rented the room hours before and left the hotel without checking out after the fire was lit.
The final fire occurred on March 29, 2024, in a home on Ocean Parkway in Ocean Pines. Prosecutors say Rounds barricaded himself in a bedroom and began lighting clothing and other items on fire. When firefighters breached the room, Rounds attempted to flee by jumping out a window but was ultimately arrested, according to prosecutors. He was indicted in May of 2024.
On Friday, June 27, Rounds was sentenced to 40 years with all but 15 suspended after being convicted of 1st degree malicious burning, reckless endangerment, and 1st degree arson. Rounds will also be placed on 5 years probation upon release and was ordered to pay over $12,000 in restitution for property damage to multiple victims, according to the State’s Attorney's Office.
State’s Attorney Kris Heiser thanked first responders and law enforcement for their work on the investigation, as well as her team for a successful prosecution.